Politics Audiobooks | LoveReading

Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto Audiobook

'Why, in our affluent society, do so many people live in poverty, without access to health care, working multiple jobs, and are nevertheless unable to make ends meet, with no future prospects, while the planet is burning? In his international bestseller, Kohei Saito argues that while unfettered capitalism is often blamed for inequality and climate change, subsequent calls for “sustainable growth” and a “Green New Deal” are a dangerous compromise. Capitalism creates artificial scarcity by pursuing profit based on the value of products rather than their usefulness and by putting perpetual growth above all else. It is therefore impossible to reverse climate change in a capitalist society; in fact, the system that caused the problem in the first place cannot be an integral part of the solution. Instead, Saito advocates for degrowth and deceleration, which he conceives as the slowing of economic activity through the democratic reform of labor and production. In practical terms, he argues for the following: the end of mass production and mass consumption. decarbonization through shorter working hours. the prioritization of essential labor over corporate profits. By returning to a system of social ownership, he argues, we can restore abundance and focus on those activities that are essential for human life, effectively reversing climate change and saving the planet.'

Kohei Saito (Author), Kohei Saito, TBD, Troy Glasgow (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Brief Global History of the Left

The Left seems to be dying a slow death. While many commenters have predicted its demise, the Left has always defied these bleak prognoses and risen from the ashes in the most unexpected ways. Nevertheless, we are witnessing today a global decline in organized movements on the Left, and while social struggles and rebellious citizens continue to challenge dominant political regimes, these efforts do not translate into support for traditional left parties or into the creation of dynamic movements on the left. Bestselling historian Shlomo Sand argues that the global decline of the Left is linked to the waning of the idea of equality that has united citizens in the past and inspired them to engage in collective action. Sand retraces the evolution of this idea in a wide-ranging account that includes seventeenth-century England, the French Revolution, the birth of anarchism and Marxism, the decolonial, feminist, and civil rights revolts, and the left populism of our time. In piecing together the thinkers and movements that built the Left, Sand illuminates the global and transnational dynamics which pushed them forward, often picking up the gauntlets their predecessors had laid down. He outlines how they shaped the notion of equality, while also analyzing how they were confronted by its material reality, and the lessons that they did-or did not-draw from this.

Shlomo Sand (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

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The Decisive Decade: American Grand Strategy for Triumph Over China

In The Decisive Decade, Dr. Jonathan D. T. Ward offers a comprehensive framework for how the US can, and must, defeat China on the world stage economically, diplomatically, militarily, and ideologically. International security and American supremacy are at stake-and now is the time for the US to take action. China's global power and influence grows every day. Working from a deep sense of national identity, the Chinese Communist Party is leading its country toward what it deems 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation,' and executing a long-term Grand Strategy to topple over its chief adversary, the US. As China becomes increasingly repressive domestically and aggressive overseas, it threatens to upend America's global dominance at every turn. Ward provides novel and practical strategies that our government, as well as our businesses and our citizens, can utilize to undermine our adversary. Exhaustive campaigns in the economic, diplomatic, military, and ideological arenas, he argues, must be taken to achieve victory. With expert analysis of the history of US-China relations, as well as insight into how the Russia-Ukrainian war can inform our strategic thinking, The Decisive Decade presents a unique toolkit for our triumph over China. We can succeed, but it won't be easy; it will take all of our nation's ingenuity, confidence, and willpower to win.

Jonathan D.T. Ward (Author), Rick Adamson (Narrator)

Audiobook

When Science Meets Power: 1st Edition

Science and politics have collaborated throughout human history and science is repeatedly invoked today in political debates, from pandemic management to climate change. Leading policy analyst Geoff Mulgan here calls attention to the growing frictions caused by the expanding-and unsolicited-authority being heaped upon science. As science increasingly competes with politics, a defined plan of cooperation is urgently needed. Mulgan outlines science and politics as two distinct, imperfect forms of collective intelligence. Whereas science is ordered around what we know and what is, politics engages what we feel and what matters. Politics functions because it recognizes the limits of power, the need for delegation and expert advice. The intellectual logic of science, on the other hand, focuses on detail and depth, struggling to place its knowledge in wider contexts. The crux of the matter, Mulgan argues, is how can we ensure that crucial decisions taken in democracies are both well informed and legitimate? Rooted in understanding that science and politics are not just fields of ideas but also fields of action, this book proposes ways to ensure that the two work effectively together.

Geoff Mulgan (Author), Michael Langan (Narrator)

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American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution

In 1987, E. L. Doctorow celebrated the Constitution's bicentennial by reading it. 'It is five thousand words long but reads like fifty thousand,' he said. Distinguished legal scholar Garrett Epps disagrees. It's about 7,500 words. And Doctorow 'missed a good deal of high rhetoric, many literary tropes, and even a trace of, if not wit, at least irony,' he writes. In American Epic, Epps takes us through a complete reading of the Constitution to achieve an appreciation of its power and a holistic understanding of what it says. In this book he seeks not to provide a definitive interpretation, but to listen to the language and ponder its meaning. He draws on four modes of reading: scriptural, legal, lyric, and epic. The Constitution's first three words, for example, sound spiritual-but Epps finds them to be more aspirational than prayer-like. He turns the Second Amendment into a poem to illuminate its ambiguity. He notices oddities and omissions. The Constitution lays out rules for presidential appointment of officers, for example, but not removal. Should the Senate approve each firing? Can it withdraw its 'advice and consent' and force a resignation? And he challenges himself, as seen in his surprising discussion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in light of Article 4, which orders states to give 'full faith and credit' to the acts of other states.

Garrett Epps (Author), Lee Goettl (Narrator)

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No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air

The world needs to turn away from fossil fuels and use clean, renewable sources of energy as soon as we can. Failure to do so will cause catastrophic climate damage sooner than you might think, leading to loss of biodiversity and economic and political instability. But all is not lost! We still have time to save the planet without resorting to 'miracle' technologies. We need to wave goodbye to outdated technologies, such as natural gas and carbon capture, and repurpose the technologies that we already have at our disposal. We can use existing technologies to harness, store, and transmit energy from wind, water, and solar sources to ensure reliable electricity, heat supplies, and energy security. Find out what you can do to improve the health, climate, and economic state of our planet. Together, we can solve the climate crisis, eliminate air pollution, and safely secure energy supplies for everyone.

Mark Z. Jacobson (Author), Mike Lenz (Narrator)

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For Love of Country: Why I Left the Democratic Party

Tulsi Gabbard was the rising star of the Democratic Party. But the growing wokeness, racism, and intolerance were more than she could stomach, and she left. This is her story. Today's Democratic Party is controlled by an elitist cabal of warmongers driven crazy by woke ideology and anti-white animus. They are a clear and present threat to the God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. A soldier, former member of Congress, and a presidential candidate, Tulsi loves her country: "I answered the call of duty and took an oath, dedicating my life to supporting and defending those freedoms, both in uniform and in public office. I became a Democrat when I ran for office because I saw them as a party that stood up for the little guy and against the interests of big business and warmongers. I remained a Democrat for twenty years, albeit with an independent streak." Today that party is unrecognizable: antagonistic to people of faith, hostile to the police and law and order, suspicious of law-abiding Americans, unserious about border security, and uncritical of a national security apparatus that targets political opponents and that is dragging us ever closer to apocalyptic nuclear war. Now an Independent, Tulsi calls on those who love America to protect our rights from those who are seeking to undermine them at every turn. It's time to say good-bye to the Democratic Party.

Tulsi Gabbard (Author), Tulsi Gabbard (Narrator)

Audiobook

Russia's War

In the early hours of February 24, 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine. The brutality of the Russian assault has horrified the world. But Russians themselves appear to be watching an entirely different war-one in which they are the courageous underdogs and kind-hearted heroes successfully battling a malign Ukrainian foe. Russia analyst Jade McGlynn takes us on a journey into this parallel military and political universe to reveal the sometimes monstrous, sometimes misconstrued attitudes behind Russian majority backing for the invasion. Drawing on media analysis and interviews with ordinary citizens, officials and foreign-policy elites in Russia and Ukraine, McGlynn explores the grievances, lies and half-truths that pervade the Russian worldview. She also exposes the complicity of many Russians, who have invested too deeply in the Kremlin's alternative narratives to regard the war as Putin's foolhardy mission. In their eyes, this is Russia's war-against Ukraine, against the West, against evil-and there can be no turning back.

Jade Mcglynn (Author), Jade Mcglynn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Capitalism and Crises: How to Fix Them

The world is encountering multiple crises-climate, droughts, floods, energy, food, and pandemics, to name a few. We have a problem, this is the solution. Capitalism and Crises is about how capitalism can fix them-how it can solve not cause them. The reason why it has caused them is that we have misconceived the nature of our capitalist system. We have failed to understand the key institution at the heart of it-business-and as a result we have allowed it to cause as well as solve problems. This book describes why this has happened and what needs to change to address it. Drawing on history, philosophy, psychology, and biology as well economics, law, and finance, Mayer describes what has gone wrong, what needs to change, and how to fix it. He sets out the big challenges that capitalism must address and how it should set about doing that, and discusses how financial institutions should be at the heart of this, and how the public sector can work with the private on a common purpose of solving problems and creating shared prosperity. Capitalism and Crises provides an inspiring and motivational roadmap of how we as practitioners, policymakers, consumers, employees, communities, students, and citizens of the world can together tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century-to flourish and survive.

Colin Mayer (Author), Bob Souer (Narrator)

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Vote Gun: How Gun Rights Became Politicized in the United States

Today, gun control is one of the most polarizing topics in American politics. However, before the 1960s, positions on firearms rights did not necessarily map onto partisan affiliation. What explains this drastic shift? Patrick J. Charles charts the rise of gun rights activism from the early twentieth century through the 1980 presidential election, pinpointing the role of the 1968 Gun Control Act. Gun rights advocates had lobbied legislators for decades, but they had cast firearms control as a local issue. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 spurred congressional proposals to regulate firearms, gun rights advocates found common cause with states' rights proponents opposed to civil rights legislation. Politicians including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan recognized the potential of gun control as a wedge issue, and gun rights became increasingly tied to the Republican Party. Charles offers new insight into the evolution of the gun rights movement and how politicians responded to anti-gun control hardliners. He examines in detail how the National Rifle Association reinvented itself as well as how other advocacy groups challenged the NRA's political monopoly. Offering a deep dive into the politicization of gun rights, Vote Gun reveals the origins of the acrimonious divisions that persist to this day.

Patrick J. Charles (Author), William Sarris (Narrator)

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Robert's Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief and Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Mode

Must-Have Advice on Running Effective and Organized Meetings Easy, accessible, and to the point. Robert's Rules of Order gives you everything you need to know to conduct shorter, fairer, and more orderly meetings. In this new and improved update, you'll find: -The fundamentals of parliamentary procedure, with tips on knowing which rules to use for your meetings. -Simple suggestions for making, seconding, and debating motions. -A primer on voting, from knowing when it's required, to breaking ties, to handling absentee and proxy votes. -Straightforward strategies for setting and sticking to an agenda and efficiently recording your meeting's minutes. -Tips for handling disruptive members and tyrannical chairs. -All-new guidance on conducting the modern virtual meeting. Jim Slaughter is an attorney, professional parliamentarian, and past president of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers. He serves as parliamentarian to many of the largest trade and professional associations. He is co-author of Notes and Comments on Robert's Rules. Jim is a partner in the North Carolina law firm Rossabi Black Slaughter, PA. © 2022 Jim Slaughter © 2023 DK Audio

Jim Slaughter (Author), Greg Lockett (Narrator)

Audiobook

Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society

Something basic is missing in our culture. Americans know it. Nothing much works as it should. Simple daily choices seem impossible, or fraught with peril. In the workplace, we walk on eggshells. Big projects get stalled in years of review. Endemic social problems such as homelessness become, well, more endemic. Everyday Freedom offers a radical reinterpretation of the corrosion of American culture. The assault on authority after the 1960s, aimed at enhancing freedom, instead created a plague of powerlessness. The teacher in the classroom, the principal in a school, the nurse in the hospital, the official in Washington, the parent on a field trip . . . all have their hands tied. Things don't work, and Americans have lost the freedom to be themselves. Everyday Freedom offers a radical vision for change: Re-empower Americans in their everyday choices. The massive legal structures erected since the 1960s were based on flawed notions that human judgment could be replaced by elaborate dictates. These failed structures must be replaced with simpler frameworks activated by human responsibility and accountability. Nothing will work sensibly until Americans are free to draw on their skills, intuitions, and values when confronting daily challenges. This is the only cure to alienation. This is also the only way to deliver good government.

Philip K. Howard (Author), Bill Thatcher (Narrator)

Audiobook